“Lite”

My Hopeful Predictions for BYU vs. Utah Football Game in 3 videos

Hope

Here is 1 video for my Reality Prediction for the Utah Game

Reality

The Truth: Utah opens as a 13 ½ point favorite. They are a more talented team and just as motivated as BYU. Moses wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. After Saturday, BYU will have just 32 more seasons to wander and wonder when the drought will stop.

Here’s the deal. BYU has won 6 games and is bowl eligible. Forget Utah. The disappointment of this season doesn’t lie in Salt Lake. It can be found firmly in Boise and Provo when BYU lost to Boise State and Northern Illinois. They were just a couple of yards and plays away from an 8-win season and still can easily get to 7 wins depending on who ESPN puts them with in post season play.

Two More Videos to Get the Juices Flowing

Cougar/Connections

There are lots of BYU ties to the Utah Football roster coming up this week. At least a fourth of the Ute roster were recruited by BYU. Some were even committed to BYU at one time. Some were legacy recruits that didn’t continue their legacy in Provo. Some were transfers.

In most cases you can attribute these cases to family legacy feuds, recruiting misevaluations, academics, honor code issues or Utah just being a better program than BYU. Anyway, I perused the current Utah roster and here is what I came up with for Ute players that had BYU connections that the Cougars either didn’t land or couldn’t keep for a variety of reasons.  Click on the names below to see for yourself. There are even a couple that committed to BYU but changed their minds.

Bradlee Anae

Moroni Anae

Anthony Armstrong

Francis Bernard

Britain Covey

Cole Fotheringham

Matt Gay

Chase Hansen

Samson Nacua

Ali'i Niumatalolo

Mika Tafua

Mo Unutoa

Coaches

Kyle Whittingham

Justin Ena

Guy Holliday

Freddie Whittingham

BYU Basketball Simplified
BYU Now 4-1 on Season 

Nothing like a parade of patsies to puff up the early season basketball record for BYU.

After a real loss to a real team on the road (Nevada) BYU has racked up 4 straight wins at home. 

UVU, Northwestern State (LA), Oral Roberts and Alabama A&M isn’t exactly a gauntlet of great teams, but they were games that count on the record and in earning a prospective invite to post-season play.

After 5 games, this much is obvious. The more 3-pointers BYU can make, the better their chances are at winning against real teams.

Last season the Cougars lost 11 games. Here the 3-point stats for those 11 losers.: UT Arlington 12-20, BYU 6-27; Alabama 5-13, BYU 4-17; Saint Mary’s 9-27 BYU 5-13; Pacific 2-13 BYU 6-16; Saint Mary’s 9-21 BYU 7-17; LMU 5-15 BYU 5-24; Gonzaga 6-22 BYU 3-20; San Diego 9-21 BYU 3-22; Gonzaga 8-24 BYU 6-20; Gonzaga 10-23 BYU 6-19; Stanford 7-22 BYU 6-27.

Here are the current 3-point shooting standings for this season (5 Games) from the three-point line: Nevada 8-28 BYU 6-31; UVU 6-23 BYU 6-22; Northwestern State 6-19 BYU 7-22; Oral Roberts 6-23 BYU 6-24; Alabama A&M 7-17 BYU 8-22.

Yoeli Childs is a player, but he isn’t going to beat the good teams on the schedule by himself. BYU, under Dave Rose, is an outside shooting-based offense and always will be. That requires shooters. The early verdict on shooters for the Cougars are mixed. Unless the outside shooting improves, mixed and mediocre will describe the Cougars record this season. Mixed won’t be good enough to get to any significant post season play. Just my opinion, and I’m sticking to it until proven otherwise by a consistent BYU outside shooting performance. 

FLUFF AND STUFF

Another game, another left guard. BYU is now on their 3^rd starting left guard. We have seen Thomas Shoaf and Keanu Saleapaga, but against NMSU, it was Kieffer Longson, the 6-7 305 sophomore, who earned the starter’s job who got the call and saw 90 percent of the snaps…In games against teams that had a bye week before playing the Cougars, BYU went 1-2. Utah State had a bye before BYU and embarrassed the Cougars in Provo. Northern Illinois also had a bye week. The also picked up a win in Provo. New Mexico State had an extra week to prepare for the Cougars. It showed in the first quarter, but BYU prevailed…BYU’s only bye also came against NIU. In the battle of byes, the Huskies came out ahead…BYU continued their dominance in Women’s volleyball and are still undefeated. They captured the WCC outright crown last week with wins over Saint Mary’s and Pacific. Both games were on the road…The Men and Women cross country teams showed extremely well in Wisconsin last week in the national cross-country meet. BYU men finished second and the women came in at No. 7…In basketball recruiting, Dave Rose announced the signing of two players: Nate Hansen and Shengzhe Li. Hansen is a 6-3 guard from Timpview HS in Provo. He averaged 15-plus points per game and will serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints before enrolling at BYU. Originally from Shanghai, China, Li plays for former BYU assistant Jeff Reinert at Santa Margarita Catholic in Santa Margarita, California. A 6-foot-10 center, Li averaged 6.8 points and 5.6 rebounds while helping Santa Margarita to a record of 20-10 in 2017-18. Prior to playing for Santa Margarita, Li played two years in Spain for the Canarias Basketball Academy in Las Palmas. He also plays for the Pump N Run club during the AAU season. Reinert’s two best players signed at UCLA and USC. Jake Kyman, a recent Bruin signee, put up 30 in the season opener against Gardena Serra. Max Agbonkpolo had 26. He signed with USC. Li, the BYU signee had 7 points and 9 rebounds. BYU basketball fans can get an up close and personal look at Li and Hansen early December when the Santa Margarita will participate in the Vivint Great Western Shootout at Orem HS December 6,7 and 8. The Eagles will open against Timpview and then play Denver East with the last game TBA…

The BYU Football Future is Bright…and Brutal

It’s my opinion, so take it for what it’s worth, but the Cougars are a running back and a go-to receiver away from having a big-time football team the next few seasons. They will need a big-time team because the schedule is also big time. Don’t want to ruin your holiday season, but if BYU stays in its current turkey mode, they will get the stuffing kicked out of them in the next few years. Take a look.

Speaking of stuffing, I will be taking mine in Tucson this week. I’m already on the road, but remember, Utah vs. BYU is only football, not wildfires destroying lives in California. Let’s be thankful for what we have.

hb

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Thanks, HB